By Tatum Northington
Photos from Redland Middle School PTO and ECBOE
The Elmore County Board of Education held their August Board Meeting at Redland Middle School last night at 5pm. The community came out in support and the RMS Cafeteria was packed with students and parents. The energy in the room for the Elmore County District 6 event was electric; there was not an empty seat to be found.
Superintendent Richard Dennis welcomed everyone and thanked them for being a part of the evening’s festivities. The work of all involved was astounding and you could see the pride in all the Board Members’ eyes. State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey was also in attendance and spoke with the crowd regarding the opening of the brand new school, while also discussing his vision for education in Alabama and the growth of Elmore County. The crowd then rallied and had the Redland Middle School Dance Team and Cheer Squad perform for the enthusiastic crowd, and then the ribbon cutting ceremony took place. The Redland Middle PTO took great care of decorations and maintaining the event, and light hors d’oeuvres with cake were served while the crowd mingled prior to the meeting taking place. Community members are encouraged to join the RMS PTO for only $10 by going to redlandmiddle.ptboard.com. You can also see their updates on their Facebook page.
A check presentation by Alabama Representative Mike Holmes in the amount of $30,157.00 kicked off the meeting. Dennis thanked Representative Holmes and said of the funds “We have recently been dedicating them to support our middle school stem programs which have been implemented in all five middle schools. Additionally, we will use the funds for career technical programs as well.”
The school board shared their appreciation for the extremely generous donation while they also thanked the community for their support regarding the opening of the school and all the work by the BOE Maintenance team. All board members were present.
Dennis gave a construction update regarding the projects throughout the district and then asked the board to take action on the Consent Agenda. The agenda was passed, and personnel action took place, with a unanimous vote. There are a few certified positions still open and the district is still in need of aides, CNP workers, and bus drivers, as well as substitute teachers. For those interested, please visit the Employment section of the ECBOE website. You can find the approved personnel minutes HERE.
The July financials were shared with the board and everything is on track for the last few months of the fiscal year, which ends September 30.
All in all, the night was one to remember for the Redland Community and the school was a sight to see. The community has grown exponentially over the past decade so the need for this new school was necessary, as we can see with there being enrollment of over 540 for the Middle School alone. Community members toured the school and the meeting was adjourned. The next regular scheduled board meeting will be September 20 at 4:30pm at the Board of Education in Wetumpka. If there is a need for a special called meeting prior to September 20, it will be announced on the County website as well as Facebook.
See more photos below.
